Emergencies

In any emergency situation, residents should attempt to contact the CA on duty to inform staff, but if an individual is in imminent danger she/she should first dial 9-1-1. Residence Life staff, including CAs and PAs, are trained to assist in handling emergency situations and crisis response scenarios. These may include medical and trauma emergencies, mental health crises such as suicide risks/attempts, alcohol poisoning or unresponsiveness, violence and threats, etc. Residents are not encouraged to assist in situations where they might be placed in danger, such as confronting someone who is seemingly under the influence of intoxicating substances, someone who is making physical threats, or someone in possession of a weapon.

Emergency Medical Care

Though it is natural to attempt to help neighbors and friends when they are in need of professional care, students are urged to avoid the urge to move or transport injured, sick, or unstable individuals. Driving someone to the hospital, for instance, may be dangerous since conditions may worsen on the way to the hospital or their behavior might create unsafe driving conditions for others in the vehicle. Police, EMTs, First Responders, Firefighters, and other professional emergency response teams are better equipped to transport individuals in need of treatment.

If a student is unsure of whether he/she or a friend may need medical care, the CA on duty should be contacted and the Administrator on Duty (AOD) will be summoned. The AOD is trained to evaluate the general condition of the affected individual and to decide whether professional care should be requested.

Alcohol-Induced Emergencies

Heavily intoxicated individuals have a high risk of experiencing at least some symptoms of alcohol poisoning. Students who are aware that another individual who has been consuming alcohol is completely unresponsive should not simply assume that he/she has simply “passed out.” If attempts to rouse the person are unsuccessful, he/she may be in dire need of medical attention. Breathing may slow to dangerously low rates or students may choke on their own vomit if left unattended.

Alcohol poisoning is just what it sounds like: the body is literally poisoned by excessive amounts of a toxic substance until the point where organs may begin to shut down or brain damage occurs. Other symptoms of alcohol poisoning is vomiting uncontrollably or vomiting blood, dilated pupils or uneven/unresponsive pupils, or seizures. These symptoms indicate an immediate need for medical care or assessment. Because individuals’ physiology and genetic predispositions vary greatly, one amount of alcohol may be just enough to give one person a “buzz,” while it is enough to put another into grave medical risk.

Safety or Security Emergencies

Dangers such as assault and domestic violence, threat with a deadly weapon, burglary, fire, and other imminent risks should be reported to the police by dialing 9-1-1 before being referred to the CA on duty. Other emergency situations of lesser threats should still be relayed to the CA on duty, such as unruly behavior, trespassers, dangerous conditions in the facilities or on the grounds of housing, etc.

Fire Alarms and Alarm Systems

Prompt and complete evacuation of residential campus buildings or facilities is mandatory when a fire alarm is sounded or when so directed by a university staff member, including Community Advisors. Residents are expected to depart the building, pausing only to gather a coat and shoes, and to stand outside no closer than 100 yards from the building. Even if residents believe the alarm to be a drill or false alarm, they are required to evacuate. Individuals who fail to comply with this provision will be subject to disciplinary action and a $100 fine. Residents may not re-enter the building unless instructed to do so by a professional staff member.

UAS Housing has a fire sensory and alarm system that is maintained regularly. If wired smoke or heat detectors are tampered with or disabled, the system panel sounds a warning alarm that identifies which suite or apartment has been compromised. The sprinkler systems in Banfield Hall and the Lodge are sensitive to heat and pressure. Students should not touch sprinklers or hang anything from these fixtures. If a sprinkler system at UAS is unnecessarily engaged, it will cause a minimum of $10,000 in damages. Students found to have tampered with the fire sensory system components will be assigned judicial consequences, including fines.

Winter Weather Conditions

Weather conditions sometimes create unsafe situations for housing residents, especially in the winter. Juneau’s tendency to experience freezing rain with intermittent snowfall creates black ice on roads and walking paths. Facilities Services is responsible for salting and plowing walks and the parking lot, but residents should call the CA cell phone in evenings and on weekends when surfaces need immediate attention.

Additionally, heavy snowfall causes a significant danger due to the metal roofing on the apartment buildings. As the metal heats from the building underneath, it creates sheets of ice under the thick snow blankets. Sizeable icicles sometimes form, which are firmly attached to the ice sheets on the roofs so that tampering with them may bring a huge sheet of ice and snow, weighing thousands of pounds, down onto passersby. Treacherous ice sheets on roofs that are hanging over walkways and porches should be reported to a staff member to be safely removed.

Natural Disasters

Natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunami are possible threats in Southeast Alaska, and emergency response instructions for these conditions are outlined in the UAS Student Handbook. In cases of tsunami warnings, individuals should move to higher ground or away from the coastal areas if possible. Moving to coastal areas to view any possible waves is extremely unwise, as people cannot outrun the floods that may ensue. In Juneau, because the town is in the Inside Passage and protected from the initial force of tsunami waves, possible tsunami effects would more likely exist as a rapid rise in water levels and flooding of coastal areas.

Students who are indoors in the event that an earthquake hits should duck under heavy furniture such as tables and desks in the student residences, in doorways, or in shower stalls. Aftershocks should be expected and persons should remain still during these tremors. Students who find themselves outdoors during an earthquake should quickly move to an open area and lie on the ground until the tremors and aftershocks cease. After an earthquake, individuals should assess their environment quickly for unstable objects, downed power lines, gas leaks, and dangerous rubbish. Attempts to locate anyone that may be trapped should quickly be organized, though injured persons should not be moved except by emergency personnel to prevent further injury.

In the case of other possible large-scale crises, such as pandemic illness, bomb threats, etc., students will be kept informed of instructions and safety precautions to the best of the university’s ability.

Notification

Pull fire alarm to notify campus of fire and trigger evacuation

Call 911 when it is safe to do so.

Report to Facilities Services 796-6496

Notify Chancellor if major fire or there are injuries

Safety Briefing

It is the responsibility of all persons who enter or occupy a UAS building to acquaint themselves with at least two paths of egress from the building.

As a matter of routine, faculty and staff should advise students and visitors of the location of the exits to be used in the event of an emergency and the location of the Assembly Area (so that a headcount can be made). This should occur for each class or gathering as soon as possible following the beginning of each semester or prior to each gathering.

UAS buildings are equipped with automatic fire detection equipment, sprinklers and alarms. Evacuation plans are posted showing routes to leave each building. Fire extinguishers are located throughout the campus.

Responsibilities

Supervisors and teaching staff are responsible for verifying or attempting to verify that all subordinates and students have safely evacuated if smoke or fire are present or the alarm is sounded.

The Residence Life Managers or Residence Hall Coordinators are to maintain rolls of those under their care. They are to take the rolls with them when evacuating to assure that all students are accounted for at the designated assembly area.

Preplan your escape:

Know the location of all alarm pull stations.

Make sure your floor has at least two unobstructed ways out of the building.

Check the fire exits to make sure they are usable, clear of obstructions.

Read the instructions on the fire extinguisher near your work area.

Do not use elevators.

Learn the sound of your buildings’ fire alarm, note strobe lights.

Verify that emergency numbers are posted on or near all telephones.

Evacuation

If there is a Fire or Fire Alarm: Everyone Evacuates Immediately!

Don’t assume that the alarm is a test or false alarm. In a fire, seconds count.

If you discover a fire or smoke condition, sound the building alarm by activating the nearest pull station.

Try to help others, if you can do so safely.

If fire danger is obvious, use fire extinguishers to aid in evacuation.

When leaving, take personal belongings, close the door behind you. Do not lock.

From a safe location, make a follow up call to the Fire Department (911). Inform them of: The location and nature of the fire or smoke; The location and condition of any person left in the building.

Meet at your Assembly Area and take a head count.

If someone is missing, do not reenter building to search, inform fire or police officials.

Do not reenter the building, even if the alarm no longer sounds, until a fire official, the Director of Facilities or their representative determines the building is safe.

Use of Fire Extinguishers

Fire extinguishers are to be used by trained persons only. Do not attempt to fight a fire if you or others could be in danger. Unless it is clear that a person with a fire extinguisher will quickly be able to put out the fire, pull the fire alarm to initiate an evacuation.

With few exceptions, fire extinguishers available throughout the UAS campus are “ABC” type. These are suitable to put out fires involving combustibles (paper, wood), flammable liquids and electrical equipment.

To operate most fire extinguishers:

Pull the pin.

Aim nozzle at the base of the fire.

Squeeze or press the handle.

Shoot the retardant at the base of the base of the fire, sweeping from side to side.

Watch for re-flash.

After the fire is out:

If the fire is put out and the smoke is not a significant hazard, telephone Facilities Services (x6496) during working hours (8pm – 5pm) or 1-866-999-1822 after hours to report the location and nature of the fire and how it was brought under control. Fill out an Incident Report and forward to Facilities Services.

Fire survival strategies

If you have to open an interior door during an evacuation, check for smoke and heat before opening. This can be done by placing the back of the hand as high as possible on the door or by lightly coughing metal door components that project through the door to detect heat. Absent any indication of heat, the door may be slowly and partially opened to check visually for smoke.

Because heat and smoke rise naturally, it is more desirable to relocate to a point below the fire rather than above it.

Movement to another wing of the building, entering an adjacent building or moving to the opposite side of a building will improve a persons’ safety. Care should be taken to close doors as you move from one location to another to limit the spread of smoke and heat.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to document the response expected of staff, faculty, students and contractors in the event a fire is or may reasonably be presumed to exist in University of Alaska Southeast Student Housing in Juneau, AK.

Intent

The intent is assure that all parties involved know what action is expected of them as individuals or organizations in the majority of reasonably foreseeable situations that may arise should a fire or the possibility of fire exist in UAS housing.

It is the intent that no person will place themselves in danger, actions under this plan are to be undertaken only if they may be done so safely without endangering one’s self.

Information

This policy is supplemental to and is to be used in support of the Emergency Action Plan (EAP).

Alaska Statute 18.70.075. Authority of Fire Department Officers; Penalty. Reads in part “(a) A fire officer of a municipal fire department or a fire department registered under AS 29.60.130, while providing fire protection or other emergency services, has the authority to (1) control and direct activities at the scene of a fire or emergency; (2) order a person to leave a building or place in the vicinity of a fire or emergency, for the purpose of protecting the person from injury.

(b) An owner or occupant of a building or place specified in this section or any other person on the site of a fire or other fire department emergency who refuses to obey the order of a fire officer of a municipal or registered fire department in the exercise of official duties is guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction, is punishable by imprisonment for one year, or by a fine of not more than $1,000, or by both.

Once a fire official has reason to believe that a fire may exist, that official has complete legal control of the fire scene. That individual, by law, is in charge superseding the normal control that an owner might expect to have over their property.

Definitions

"Give the alarm" mean to alert residents of student housing and the fire department by use of a fire alarm or detection system or by such other means that a prudent person might use to rouse other persons and alert them to possible danger. This may include but is not limited to using their voice or pounding on doors.

"Incident commander" is the senior most qualified person on the scene of an emergency who assumes command authority. Upon arrival of local emergency services this becomes the senior fire officer on scene. This fire officer has the power and authority specified in AS 18.70.075.

"Possibility that a fire may exist" means that a prudent person has sufficient information concerning the possibility that a fire may exist that it would cause them to take action in their own affairs.

"Supervisory service" is the firm that monitors the operative condition of fixed fire suppression and alarm systems for the protection of life and property as a contractor for the University of Alaska Southeast.

Responsibilities

Director of Residence Life

The Housing Director must maintain a copy of the Emergency Action Plan and this policy in an accessible location and provide a copy to the Residence Life Coordinator.

The Director shall assure that the Residence Life Coordinator has been trained regarding the provisions of the EAP and this policy at least annually or as changes are made to either document.

The Director shall assure that the Residence Life Coordinator posts or causes to be posted evacuation plans as required by the EAP.

The Director shall establish written policies clearly establishing appropriate penalties for failure to comply with the provisions of this plan. The Director may enforce these policies and procedures where residents fail to comply with the provisions of this policy.

Persons aggrieved by a decision of the Director may appeal to the Student Resource Center Director.

Residence Life Coordinator

The Residence Life Coordinator (RLC) shall attend training on the EAP and this policy at least annually or as required by the Director.

The RLC shall post or cause to be posted evacuation plans UAS housing.

The RLC shall maintain a complete set of keys, as are necessary, to access and restore the fire alarm systems in student housing in a secure location.

The RLC shall conduct and document fire drills as specified in the Emergency Action Plan.

The RLC shall train the other employees as is prudent so they are familiar with the EAP, the fire alarm and evacuation signals, they know their assigned duties in an the event of an alarm, they know evacuation routes, areas of refuge (if any) and the location of exterior assembly areas.

The RLC shall train incoming and returning students concerning the EAP and their responsibilities in the event of a fire emergency. Written documentation shall be maintained by the RLC for at least two years including at a minimum the name of the instructor, the date of training, a brief description of the training received and the signature of those in attendance.

At the direction of the fire department, the RLC may reset or silence the fire alarm system.

If the RLC becomes aware of any student who fails to evacuate housing upon activation of the fire alarm and detection system, the coordinator shall advise the Director of Residence Life the name of the student(s) and the facts of the matter for disciplinary action.

Residents

Without exception, residents shall evacuate student housing in the event the fire alarm system is activated.

Students may not reenter the student housing until cleared to do so by the IC.

Supervisory Service

LJ Alarm is the supervisory service employed by the University of Alaska Southeast. LJ Alarm may be contacted 24-hours per day at 789-7940.

Upon activation of a fire alarm detection or suppression system, LJ Alarm is automatically notified and will contact 911 two minutes after having received the alarm absent communication from UAS advising that the alarm was accidental or unfounded.

Facilities Services

If there is reason to believe that fire exists, contact the Director of Facilities Services and the Maintenance Supervisor after assuring that the alarm has been sounded and the evacuation of the facility has been initiated.

General

Upon becoming aware that a fire exists, or the possibility that a fire may exist, a person must immediately give the alarm.

Having given the alarm in the building, local emergency services are to be notified by telephone by dialing 911. If calling from a telephone on the University system the prefix 8 must be first dialed for an outside telephone line.

Having contacted local emergency services, remain on the telephone until specifically advised by the call taker that no further information is required.

Upon becoming aware that a fire exists or may be reasonably presumed to exist, the senior UAS representative present becomes the Incident Commander and remains in command of the event until that command authority is formally passed to and accepted by the next more senior official arriving at the event. The incoming Incident Commander may only assume command authority after being briefed on the current situation.

The Incident Commander shall establish a command post at or near the main entrance to the building that is on fire or may be reasonably believed to be on fire. The IC shall remain at the command post to the extent possible to direct the evacuation efforts of staff, faculty, and students.

The person who gave the alarm should immediately evacuate the building and go to a location near the front entrance. The person who gave the alarm should provide all known facts of the matter to the Incident Commander.

Upon arrival of emergency services, the senior fire officer automatically becomes the IC.

Upon arrival of the fire department, the senior staff member present shall make themselves known to the Incident Commander and make themselves available to assist the IC.

Once a fire alarm has been initiated, no person associated with or in the employee of the University of Alaska Southeast shall cause the responding fire department to terminate its response. Additional information should be provided to responding agencies but in no instance will any person request that a response be terminated. That is a command decision on the part of the fire department.

A fire incident is only to be terminated by the senior fire official.

No person may reenter a building that was or is on fire, or which may reasonably be assumed to be or to have been on fire for any reason until authorized to do so by the Incident Commander.

No person shall silence or reset a fire alarm or detection system or fire suppression system if a fire exists or may reasonably presumed to exist until directed to do so by the Incident Commander or the Maintenance Supervisor or their designee.

The senior UAS staff member shall complete an Incident Report and forward it to Facilities Services as soon after the event as possible documenting all pertinent facts of the matter. If other staff have direct knowledge of relevant facts, additional Incident Reports should be completed.

Evacuation Plan

An evacuation plan shall be permanently posted at or near each required exit from UAS housing.

Copies of the plan shall be a minimum of 8 ½” x 11” in size.

Each copy of the plan will be prepared for the specific location in which it will be posted.

Each evacuation plan shall include at a minimum; a floor plan, emergency evacuation routes, the location of manual fire alarm boxes, portable fire extinguishers, and fire alarm annunciators and controls.

System Restoration

The system shall be reset or restored in accordance with the manufacturers operation instructions.

Contacts

To contact the Director of Facilities Services or the Maintenance Supervisor, call Facilities Services at 465-6496 during regular business hours. During an off hour emergency they may contacted by calling 1-866-999-1822.

Goldbelt Security (907) 790-1435

Alarm Monitoring(866)-999-1822

Housing Lodge Desk(907) 796-6443

Community Advisor (CA) Emergency Cell Phone(907) 209-6539

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